The First Law Of Energy
by The Lady Morana
Summary: Energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but it can be transferred. This is a story of enegry given and taken and the unpredictable impacts it has on all those involved. WARNINGS: GaaraNaruto, Yaoi
1. Chapter 1: Paperwork

WARNING: There are mentions of boys being in love with other boys in chapter and for the rest of story. How scandalous.

Dedication: Ha! You didn't think I'd write it did you Flightless Bird? Well here it is, almost 3 month after I started the first chapter and a second on the way!

--

The lives of the Jinchuuriki are marked with violence and hatred and their deaths are no less so. After all to kill a demon is a feat worth singing about even if that demon is someone's little girl, best friend, or kid brother.

Yet even in these bloody lives there is exquisite love and joy. After all a person cannot know happiness till they have known sorrow and the more intense the pain the more precious the pleasure.

So it was for Naruto and Gaara. Two innocents stained with blood of a parent before their first words were spoken. For this, a thing they had no control over, they were shunned, rejected, by those around them. It only made sense for two identical souls reaching out to find each other.

They did not fall in love, their love simply _was_ and because of this there would be no falling out of love. These words were never spoken. If a ninja say "I love" it is just a precursor to "how could you leave me?"

The love hung between them all the same binding them together like steel wire, strong but not so strong death couldn't server it. The frailness of this seemly unbreakable bound at been shown to them in a way that was painfully clear with Gaara's death. It had taken a life and then some to bring him back.

Naruto pressed his face to the hot portal wind and watched the storm rage. In his mind storms meant heavy rains and cold winds, but here they meant hot sand moving fast enough to take the flesh off your bones.

"You know you will burn your face if you keep it against that window, especially when the sun comes back out." Gaara voice was as dry as the desert he lived in.

"But I'm bored." Naruto whined peeling his face off the window, "And I'm hot."

"How does pressing your face against a sun baked window help either of those problems?" Naruto muttered something incoherent and flopped down in his seat next to Gaara's desk. Gaara continued to sort through the papers on his desk marking and occasionally signing them.

Naruto fidgeted and then yawned.

"This is the most boring mission I have ever had." He huffed and folded his arms. Gaara picked up a paper and scribbled his signature on it before answering.

"You mission was to be 'the Hokage's ambassador from the Leaf to the Kazekage in the Sand to insure continued friendly relations between these two great ninja-villages.' How interesting did you think it was going to be?"

"It sounded more interesting when Tsunade said it."

"I can only imagine." Just a hint of sarcasm laced Gaara's otherwise emotionless voice. Naruto sifted uncomfortably again and stood to pace the small room.

"Still so sure you want to be Hokage? Being a Jonin is much more interesting." Naruto shrugged.

"They let anyone become a Jonin, look at my sensei."

"Look at your Hokage." Gaara placed no particular emphasis on this statement and Naruto almost missed it. Naruto glared before he kept pacing.

"It should rain more often here." Naruto declared.

"If it did we would be called the Village Hidden in the Mud."

"Water and sand don't make mud, they makes wet sand." Naruto said insolently.

"The Village Hidden in the Wet Sand then, either way it would be a wet mess."

"What would be a wet mess? I sincerely hope you're keeping conversations work appropriate." Temari entered the office bearing another stack of papers, "Regardless of the topic of your conversation, if you have time for ideal chatter you have time to start on tomorrow's paperwork." Gaara looked impassively at the documents.

"I'm sure that it's dinner time."

"I'm sure that Temari invents papers for you to sign. I've never seen Tsunade even attempt as much paper work as you do in a day." Temari sniffed indignantly.

"Just because your Hokage is lazy." She huffed and walked out the room without finishing the sentence.

"You know you make a horrid ambassador." Gaara said looking at the door his sister had exited through.

"That's not true!" Naruto declared and walked around the desk to stand behind Gaara, "I'm not an ambassador to the Sand; I'm an ambassador to the Kazekage." Naruto grinned and kissed him just below his ear, letting the thick red hair tickle his face. He pulled back and smiled wider, "I think I do a good job at that."

"Perhaps." Gaara's toneless voice allowed, "But perhaps not, I'm sure that Konoha has more diplomatic people." Naruto snorted,

"More diplomatic than me? I don't believe you. Give me one example."

"That Shikamaru my sister is so found of. I'm sure that she'd even process the paperwork for him to be your replacement herself." Naruto gave him a flat look.

"You could have at least pretended to think about that for a minute." Gaara shrugged before standing.

"I didn't want to falsely assure you. Come on let's go to dinner, before she makes me do more paperwork." Naruto complained loudly about the weirdness of the dessert cuisine before walking from the room with Gaara.

The office was left with neatly stacked papers resting on the desk and its hot windows looking out on wild sand. As void of human beings as the room was it didn't seem empty, as though some of Naruto's energy had leaked out and given life to the room.

--

AN: Yuppers another new story! I'm starting two to three new ones in spirit of the not-quite-here-but-just-around-the-corner-way-easier-summer-semister! Rock on! -Morana


	2. Chapter 2: Questions

THANKS TO: Liana Uchiha and Pen-Name-Kitsune-chan I love your reviews!

--

Naruto poked at the food on his plate. His normally insatiable appetite had been satisfied far too easily as of late. He covered it up by complaining loudly about the weirdness of the desert food and offering long laments over the ramen he could be eating.

For the most part this strategy worked. Temari was annoyed enough by it that she didn't instigate conversations on Naruto eating habits, and everyone else followed her example and ignored what Naruto ate or didn't eat, everyone except for Gaara.

Gaara never said anything as he watched Naruto poke the food around his plate, he never commented as Naruto took increasingly small portions, but he did notice. He also found it hard to believe Naruto when he said he simple didn't like the food. As convinced as he was that there was a deeper cause to Naruto's lack of appetite he didn't interrogate Naruto farther at the table because that might provoke Temari to give him more paperwork.

As diminished as Naruto appetite for food was his other appetites were alive and well. His prejudice against desert flavors disappeared the moment the door to Gaara's sleep quarters was closed and his mouth was covered by Gaara's.

Tonight was no different. The heat seeped from the desert and was lost to the dark night sky leaving the outside temperatures bitterly cold. Inside the hard stone room that housed the Kazekage the temperatures were steadily rising.

Naruto made a feral noise deep in his throat as he tore at the layers of Gaara's clothing. Naruto himself was already down to his powder blue boxers, but Gaara's outfit, as always, proved to be more cumbersome. Underneath his white jacket and blue robe there was his gray leather chest plate with all its straps and his collared maroon shirt with long tails. Even after all of this had been removed there was still the black pants bound tightly to Gaara's legs by gray bands meant to hold weapons and solid black shoes to be removed.

"You are" Naruto panted while angrily glaring at his shaking hands as they tried vainly to unbuckle one of Gaara's main straps, "going to overheat and die with all these clothes you wear!" Gaara's steady hands knocked away Naruto's fumbling ones and the grey leather fell easily to the floor. The deep red shirt and black pants were equally easy to slip out of and Naruto found himself pinned to the bed.

Gaara leaned in to kiss Naruto deeply as he hooked his finger around the top of Naruto's boxers and yanked them down. Naruto lifted his hips to make the maneuver easier to manage.

"You know," Gaara murmured as kissed and licked from Naruto's chin, down his neck, to his collar bone, "you haven't been eating." Beneath him Gaara could feel Naruto stiffen, conforming his suspicions that there was more going on than just a mere food aversion.

"I told you I don't like the food." Naruto's voice was defensive. Gaara pulled back enough for his pupil-less blue eyes to meet Naruto clear ones.

"I've seen what passes for mission food in you village. If you eat that, you'll eat anything. What are you hiding?" Naruto fidgeted and Gaara watched with his plain face.

"I don't know, maybe I'm sick or something." Gaara's face belied no emotion, but Naruto could tell he knew that he wasn't telling the truth. Gaara bent his head back down to Naruto chest and spoke just above his flesh,

"I would hope you could trust me." He gave Naruto no chance to resound before biting into the flesh of Naruto's pectorals major hard enough to make him bleed. He sucked harshly at the wound and Naruto moaned in pleasure.

Sex with a Jinchuuriki is a wild affair as they tend to have most animalist instincts, but sex involving two people that are or have been Jinchuuriki is, most times, a violent act. Jinchuuriki tend to have an extreme need for acknowledgement and a need to leave their mark.

Gaara had currently done just that. The bite mark on Naruto's chest had clotted, but there was a fresh and lightly bleeding wound on his inner thigh. Blood slicked his legs from where Gaara had slammed into him without preparation or warning.

Gaara himself was not without marks. Long, deep, red marks marred his back from where Naruto had clawed him as the passion rose. In the soft skin covering the strong sternocleidomastoid was punctured with sharp teeth marks and the blood painted his neck like red carnations. His rough lips perpetual dry from the desert climate were cut and reddened with dry blood to match his hair.

They lay together in the hard bed, rough wool blankets pulled to cover their salt coated skin. Blood staining the already dark sheets, evidence of their sexual climates made sticky their bodies. The bodily fluids were the only evidence of the night's previous action that remained on Naruto's body; Kyuubi's healing chakra had already taken affect. The healing of Gaara's wounds would have to wait until the morning however.

The peacefulness of the dirty bed was disturbed by Naruto. It started as a twitch so small it could have passed for a sleep spindle, but then it grew. The arm toss careless over Gaara's chest began to shiver violently enough to wake Gaara, who at first, in a sleepy haze, just moved to push it off. The strength with which the muscles were shaking however made him fully alert. He tried to hold the arms still, but even as he forced it to remain stationary he could feel the spasms.

Silently he debated wither to wake Naruto or not. He looked down at the discomfort on his face, and remembered his avoidance of clear answers earlier. He sighed and decided to hold the arm till it stopped and then he'd write to Konoha tomorrow. Naruto was obvious hiding something, and he didn't need any more evasive answers.

--

"Tsunade-sama! Tsunade-sama!" Tsunade considered hiding under her desk or pretending she was a potted plant. Whenever her attendant Shizune came running like that it meant the world was on the verge of ending, that or something involving a whole lot of paper work to allow someone else to do something interesting. Unfortunately Shizune would be smart enough to look under her desk and a pot plant was hardly a good disguise.

"What is it now, Shizune?" She asked making sure her voice was dramatically tired.

"It's Naruto," Tsunade golden eyes flashed upward, "it's started."

--

AN: I really ought to call this chapter "The Lady Morana Can't Write Smut", but that would be a lame name. I really don't like this chapter, but it wouldn't behave so this is what we're stuck with. I hope the next chapter won't suck so hard. On the topic of the next chapter unless it happens by Monday morning, it'll probably be a week before I get anything up because I will be out of town and don't know when I'll have internet. -Morana


	3. Chapter 3: Confessions

Please give great thanks to and shower with adoration Liana Uchiha for betaing this chapter. I'm sure it sorely needed it. 

Also Thank: MSYOU, Zika., Pen-Name-Kitsune-chan, PyroD, Liana Uchiha, and Chibi Strawberry Neko for reviewing. 

--

Gaara watched as the Hokage's pink haired student spoke with Naruto in a low voice. Normally he would have preferred somebody more experienced, but he'd been assured that she was a better medic then anybody in the Sand. Gaara wondered what Naruto thought of having such a young, talented healer as his teammate. Judging by Naruto's facial expression, he either didn't think she was competent or he really didn't like what she was telling him.

Gaara could see their quiet argument escalating till he could hear  
Naruto's sharp voice.

"You're wrong; there are a thousand things it could be! You're just jumping to conclusions!" Her response was inaudible, because she didn't raise her voice to match his. Sakura's control didn't inspire Naruto to excise any as he shouted back louder than the first time.

"Fine, run your damn tests! I can't wait for you and Tsunade to look stupid for making wild assumptions!" He stormed out of the room, casting Gaara a venomous look as he passed; apparently he'd learned who'd written Konoha. Gaara sighed and walked into the room to where Sakura was preparing to run her blood tests.

"What's wrong with him?" She jumped slightly as though startled by his silent approach.

"Well of course it's …" Then an odd look crossed her face. "He didn't tell you, did he?" Gaara blinked his eyes, and she shook her head in annoyance.

"What was he suppose to tell me?" Gaara asked, but Sakura just signed and looked back down to her work.

"If Naruto didn't tell you, it's not my place to, especially when I'm not positive. I'm sure you heard him, it could be a lot of things, maybe even just a cold or virus." There was a final quality to the tone of her voice. Gaara briefly wondered if the ninja academy in Konoha taught its students to give vague answers or if that was something Naruto and Sakura had picked up from their teacher.

As he was walking from the room, her voice called after him,

"Ask Naruto, you have a right to know." Gaara didn't answer, but he did go to find Naruto. Well, he went to look for Naruto, but the blond seemed to have disappeared. Unfortunately, being Kazekage was more than a title, and he had meetings to attend and paperwork to do, but throughout the day, worry about Naruto's whereabouts built in him.

While Gaara preformed his duties Naruto sat on the roof with his high black collar pulled up to protect his face. He hoped that nobody would think to look up here for him; he hoped nobody would think to look at all.

His eyes were dry from exposure to the hot desert wind, but he wanted to cry. He'd yelled at Sakura and lied to Gaara, but he'd known from the very start what was happening to him. He may not have had the brains to use genjutsu, but he wasn't a complete idiot. If he were feeling less childish, he would find Sakura and tell her not to run the blood tests, but he was quite content to just sit on this hot, dry roof and pout.

Hiding only works for so long and simple tests don't take forever. The sun was just beginning to fall from its noonday peak when footsteps alerted him to the presence of another person on the roof. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a mess of pink as Sakura sat down next to him. For a while they were silent; her not wanting to speak, him not wanting to hear.

Finally she spoke.

"I finished the test." Naruto just nodded and she looked at him with sad eyes, "But you already know the results, don't you?" Naruto sighed, his eyes fixed on a spot on the shield wall.

"Did you tell Gaara?" He asked, and she shook her head,

"No, I thought that you should."

"I don't know how. I mean, it's not exactly something a person  
can slip in over dinner. How do you tell someone that you're… you're…" He shook his head and couldn't finish the sentence.

"I don't know. I've never had to do it before." There was more silence as the wind blew howling past them, this time he spoke,

"Now that you know what's wrong, are you going to go back?"

"No. I've written my master. I'll be here until you no longer need my abilities as a medic."

"Then you should be heading back tonight. There's nothing you can do."

"It will be very painful, I can help it be less so." Again they fell into silence until Sakura stood up and dusted herself off. Her voice was strangely thick and damp when she spoke.

"I'm going to go see what supplies they have here in case I need to have somebody bring something." Naruto listened to her leave and waited a while before following. He entered Gaara's office and sat down at his desk. He waited till the setting sun painted the office vibrant colors. The door opened and Gaara walked in.

"What are you doing?" He asked upon seeing Naruto seated in his chair. Naruto gave him a sad smile.

"I just wanted to know what it felt like to sit in a Kage's chair." Gaara just looked at him, confused. Naruto sighed, getting up, "It doesn't feel any different than a normal chair. I guess it's the title that the person bears that makes it special. It doesn't matter though; it's not something I'll ever find out."

"What are you talking about? You've been proclaiming your impending appointment as Hokage for as long as I've known you." Naruto gave him a sad look.

"Unless Tsunade stops being Hokage very abruptly, it's not going to happen."

"Oh, surely you don't think she'll out live you?" Naruto gave Gaara a frighteningly serious look.

"I don't think she will, I _know_ she will." Gaara allowed confusion to wrinkle his head, and Naruto smiled sadly, "I'm dying, Gaara."

--

AN: So Naruto sad smile there was inspired by Allen from D. Gray-man I'm-going-to-go-through-myself-under-a-train-because-by-a-completely-unrelated-string-of-events-that-will-obviously-save-my-friends smile. I just felt I'd give credit where credit was do, because nobody does the impending death smile better than Allen. –Morana

AN2: I'll be out of town with no computer for another week. Sorry 'bout that. -Morana


	4. Chapter 4: Reasons

Thanks to: PyroD, MSYOU, fridamoore, Lolchen, yaoi.kyuuketsuki19, Liana Uchiha, and Pen-Name-Kitsune-chan for reviewing.

Special Thanks To: Liana Uchiha for being my beta. 

--

Gaara's blinked from his place just inside the doorway. The irrational human part of his mind instantly claimed that Naruto was a liar, but for most of his life he had been ruled an emotionless assessment of things and he knew that Naruto was not lying.

"You've seen the test results." It wasn't a question, but Naruto answered anyway.

"No." Gaara's human side declared victory, but it was premature, "I don't need to see them, I've known for a long time." Gaara knew an anger outburst would be inline here, but it wasn't in his character.

"How long is a long time?" He asked. Naruto looked at him and guilt showed through with the sorrow in his eyes, before he averted them. "How long?" Gaara pressed.

"It doesn't matter." That answer insured Gaara that it did matter, but he decided to come back to it.

"What is killing you?" Naruto flinched at those words.

"Kyuubi's chakra is destroying my body." Gaara moved into the room to sit in Naruto's chair beside the desk.

"We knew it would, but it shouldn't be happening this fast. What else happened?" Naruto pursed his lips and cursed Gaara's insight.

"Does it matter?" He snapped, "Knowing why doesn't change anything."

"Your friend told me I had a right to know, why would she say that if it didn't matter?" Tears filled Naruto's eyes as they met with Gaara's before he looked away. Gaara reached across the table to cradle Naruto's face, a tender gesture at odds with an impassive face.

"It matters to me why you are dying, perhaps there is a way to stop it." To Gaara's surprise Naruto laughed bitterly.

"I'm dying because of something I did; I suppose in theory it's possible to undo it." Something about that answer didn't make sense.

"Then don't die." Naruto kissed Gaara's palm.

"It's not that easy. Once a gift has been given it can't just be taken back." He murmured, and when Naruto looked up, Gaara saw a burning resolution in his eyes, "There are some things more important than my life."

"Like what?"

"Like yours." The two words fell into the room like an upset glass shattering on the floor. Uncertain dread built in Gaara.

"How does my life relate to your dying?" Naruto didn't answer right away and they sat in silence.

The setting sun lit Naruto's face and Gaara could see how worn it had become. He wondered at the fact that he hadn't noticed till just now how aged Naruto look. Finally Naruto broke the silence, his voice strangely level.

"Do you remember when Chiyo gave her life to bring you back?" Gaara nodded, unsure where this remembrance was headed.

- Hide quoted text -

"She'd already used that jutsu to save Sakura once that day and she was really old. She didn't have much life left to give."

"She had enough and that's all that matters." Naruto shook his head.

"No she didn't."

"What are you talking about? I'm alive aren't I?"

"She didn't have enough life to bring yours back, but I did." Gaara's eyes grew wide with shock.

"You?" Naruto nodded.

"I gave you half of my life. I was never going to live very long; Kyuubi has a rather destructive influence on me, but I gave you as much as you needed."

"This..." Gaara was surprised to feel dampness in his eyes, "This is what Sakura wouldn't tell me earlier? This is what you were trying to hide?"

"I didn't want to tell you. I didn't want you to feel guilty when I… when I'm not around anymore. You have to live the other half of my life for me." Naruto left the chair to sit on the floor and rest his head on Gaara's lap, and Gaara ran his fingers through Naruto's hair. They sat like that in silence till darkness fell and only moonlight lit the room.

"Do you remember when you died?" Naruto asked softly.

"It's not something I'm likely to forget."

"Tell me what it was like."

"Like a strange dream. I could see myself and I could see that I was fading away."

"Did it hurt?"

"Deidara's bombs hurt, but the dying itself didn't. It was like sleeping." Naruto shifted slightly.

"Were you scared?"

"No, but I was sad." Gaara voice was soft and Naruto looked up.

"I won't be sad, so long as I know that you'll be alive."

--

AN: Summer semester started today so I'm now back in class, but that shouldn't be a big deal. So I'll try to update once a week till the end of the story. -Morana


	5. Chapter 5: Wishes

A million and half thanks to Liana Uchiha for beta-ing.

Thanks with a cookie to: PyroD, fridamoore, Liana Uchiha, Pen-Name-Kitsune-chan, MSYOU, Lady Renyel of Arella, and Dead from beyond the grave for reviewing.

--

For a while, life went unchanged. Naruto's decreasing appetite was a worry, but Sakura insured that he got all the nutrients he needed. Occasionally, Naruto would have an uncontrollable spasm in his muscle, but as upsetting as these were, they did not appear to cause any harm. But as the weeks wore on it became apparent that Naruto was disintegrating.

Lack of appetite became a tendency to become violently ill if any food was eaten. Muscle spasm, which was once just random shaking, became painful enough to make Naruto cry out. The healthy glow of Naruto's sun kissed skin began to fade leaving him looking much too tired.

It hurt Gaara has much as it hurt Naruto. When Naruto's screams pierced the night, all Gaara could do was hold him tightly and hope that it was over soon. It was worse than any horror of his childhood. Watching the only person that he had ever loved die slowly and knowing that he was dying because he'd given half his life to Gaara was torture.

Naruto and Gaara sat in the hospital, waiting for Sakura to get through running her tests and come back with something for Naruto to take as a result. It had become a weekly event, and Sakura was always trying to find something to keep Naruto as healthy as possible, but the most she could was help with the pain.

"You know," Naruto began and Gaara turned to him. Even his voice was weaker. "If I could change just one thing about my life, I would have been Hokage before I died."

"Really? I would have thought you would have changed dying before you turned 20." Naruto laughed.

"I might turn 20 first!" Then his face became serious, something that fit him all too well of late, "But, no I wouldn't changed that choice for the world." Gaara made a disapproving noise, but didn't press the matter. Neither he nor Naruto wished to discuss the cause of Naruto's accelerated death.

Naruto and Gaara fell into silence, unaware of a third party listening to their conversation. From the hallway, Sakura listened in and was filled with determination to help Naruto get his wish. She entered the room, smiling brightly.

"Well, you seem to have had a good week, so I didn't make many adjustments to your medicine." Naruto looked mildly surprised to see her.

"Thanks." He said, and stood to leave. Gaara moved to leave with him, but Sakura called him back. Naruto hesitated, but she waved him on. Sakura waited till Gaara was beside her and Naruto far out of earshot.

"I need your help with something." She said in a low voice.

"Oh?" He was rather confused as to what she could want. Her eyes glinted like she was plotting something.

"Rather, I need the Kazekage's help." As she started talking, Gaara found himself truly intrigued by her plan.

--

When Gaara returned to his room, he found Naruto lying down.

"Are you feeling all right?"

"Just tired like always, nowadays." Naruto turned his head to face Gaara. "What was it that Sakura wanted to talk to you about?" Gaara hesitated for a moment.

"If you were meant to know, she wouldn't have waited till you were gone to tell me." Naruto glared at him and Gaara came to sit next to him on the bed. He reached out and stroked the thick blond hair.

"Are you sure you're just tired?"

"Today, yes. I feel like I could take a nap and wake up with all my old energy back." Gaara bent down to press his lips to Naruto's forehead, but as he straightened up, Naruto leaned forward enough to catch Gaara's lips.

"Stay with me." Naruto whispered. Gaara looked down at Naruto, and then out one of the portal windows where the sun still glowed. The paperwork could wait; it would be around for the rest of his life after Naruto was long gone. He lay down and wrapped his arms around Naruto.

"Of course I'll stay." Naruto smiled and shifted till he fit perfectly in Gaara's arms. As Naruto drifted off to sleep, he heard Gaara whisper, "I'll stay with you past the end of everything."

--

AN: In case you're wondering how I found Naruto's age for this story I did have a method I didn't just pick at it randomly. What I did was take the average life expectancy for Japan, I didn't have one for Konoha, which is 78 for males and divided it in half to account for Kyuubi's influence. That left me with 39 which I divided in half again to come up with a grand total of 19.5 years give or take a year or two. Go me! Just in case you cared which I'm sure you don't. -Morana


	6. Chapter 6: Hokage

Many thanks to my beta, Liana Uchiha, for working so fast!

Thanks with a popsicle (because it's too hot for cookies) to: fridamoore, iloveme5895, animehimeai, MSYOU, hentai18ancilla, L'Amant de Minuit de Gaara, Dead from beyond the grave, Liana Uchiha, yaoi.kyuuketsuki19, and Pen-Name-Kitsune-chan

--

"Kazekage!" Gaara glanced up at the young, fidgeting ninja.

"Yes?" He asked, trying to keep the strain from his voice. Naruto's chair was empty, today was not a good day.

"A summon for Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno to return to Konoha."

"From the Hokage?"

"From the Elders. They also respectfully request your presence as well."

"Does it say why?" The messenger quickly scanned the letter.

"No, sir." Gaara nodded; he hadn't really needed to ask. There was only one thing a letter that requested his presence along with Naruto's could mean.

"Please bring my sister and Sakura here." The young man nodded, bowed, and scampered from the room. Gaara continued his work, endeavoring to look busy when his sister entered the room. Temari came soon after he'd sent the boy away, but they had to wait for Sakura to be found and brought in. When she finally arrived, Gaara spoke.

"Sakura, you and Naruto have orders from your Elders to return to Konoha." She nodded and dipped her head, but not before he saw the understanding flash in her eyes. He turned to Temari, "I'll be going as well."

"What? Surely they don't presume to order you around; they might be one of the more powerful villages, but that!" Gaara held up his hand.

"They requested my presence, but I would have gone anyway." The siblings' eyes met and it was Temari that looked away first.

"I'll see to it that your work gets done."

"When do the Elders want us there?" Sakura asked.

"As soon as possible. Can we move Naruto?" Sakura bit her lip in consideration.

"If we do it carefully."

--

"What?!" Naruto shouted, part of his old self showing through quite clearly.

"Don't be difficult Naruto!" Sakura snapped, and Gaara just watched.

"Difficult?! I'm a ninja, Sakura, not some... some... princess or frail old man!"

"You're being unreasonable. There is a perfectly good reason for you-"

"No! I am not riding in that." Naruto folded his arms defiantly and Sakura rolled her eyes. Their escorts shifted uncomfortably.

"We can't risk you getting sunburned or scratched, or even footsore. Anything that could trigger Kyuubi's chakra to try to heal you is going to shorten you life!" Naruto glared at the wooden contraption. It was a wooden box with two openings on the longer sides. Light curtains covered those openings, and fabric covered windows cut out on the sides of the openings and on the short ends.

"I am not showing up in Konoha riding in that thing!" Sakura made an exasperated sound and opened her mouth to argue, but Gaara cut her off.

"Get in."

"But I bet I'll look ridiculous!" Naruto protested.

"I know you will, but I'm not really interested in explaining to Konoha that one of their ninja died of a sunburn while in my care." He said calmly. The ninja in Gaara's guard that would be carrying Naruto exchanged looks with him as the blond climbed into the litter.

"You just watch! I'll get a splinter and die of that!"

"Kazekage-sama?" One of the men asked, and Gaara nodded. He walked to other side and slide in.

"What? Are you going to die of sore feet too?" Naruto asked snappishly.

"No." Gaara was giving him that infuriating blank face. "Surely you didn't think all of this was just for you. This… thing is the traditional manor of travel for a Kazekage, and after my father's unfortunate end, the Council decreed that this was the safest way for me to travel. They seemed rather hesitant for me to die again."

--

Six days is a long time to spend in a small, stuffy space, but Naruto spent most of it asleep. As bad a companion as that made him, Gaara was happy to see Naruto sleep restfully. Naruto was awake when they arrived in Konoha, and he demanded that all the curtains be shut, but Sakura suggested that they just leave the litter outside the village.

From the moment Naruto entered the village, he knew something was off. The gate guards gave his an appraising look as he walked past, next to Gaara, and the people they pasted whispered franticly. At first he thought they were impressed by Gaara, but he could hear his own name carried on in those hushed voices.

"What's with the villagers, they're acting weirder than normal?" He asked Sakura quietly, but she just shrugged. He looked at her suspiciously, she was being entirely too nonchalant. He pursed his lips, then glanced at Gaara.

"It's your village." Was all he had to say. Naruto couldn't tell which was more annoying: The fact that everyone knew something he didn't, or the fact the Sakura and Gaara were being deliberately unhelpful.

Before he could really decide, they had reached their destination. Sakura rounded on Gaara.

"Now, you are going to see the Elders, so please, please try not to annoy them or yell at them."

"Why? They're a couple of old people, right?" Sakura looked pained.

"Narutom they are a couple of old people with a lot of power. Please, please, please behave." Sakura begged.

"Fine." Naruto conceded, and they entered the dark foreboding building. The Elders sat like a pair of ancient cats on a couch as old as they were.

"Welcome Kazekage, your presence is appreciated." Gaara inclined his head politely.

"Naruto." Her voice was sharp like a blade. "Please sit." He sat on the couch, but he didn't know if their's was the same, althought his set felt like the fabric had been pulled over stone.

"Naruto Uzumaki, do you know why you have been summoned?" Naruto blinked.

"No." He felt those aged eyes skipp from his face to where Gaara and Sakura stood.

"As the legacy of the Forth Hokage and student of Jiraiya, who could have been Hokage, also taking in to account the Fifth Hokage's wishes and your good relationship with the Fifth Kazekage, we have decided to name you the Sixth Hokage in light of the sudden retirement of Fifth Hokage." All Naruto could do for a moment was blink in confusion at the run on sentence. Then it finally sank in.

"I'm the next Hokage?" He asked, shocked. The old lady's face twitched in what might have been annoyance.

"No, you're the current Hokage, which is why we asked the Kazekage to come." The man opened his mouth to continue, and Naruto thought that as Hokage, he should learn their names.

"Both you and the current Kazekage were very young when you had your positions offered to you. We decided it would be in our best interested if he was there to help you adjust." Again, their eyes moved to Gaara.

"Would you be so gracious?" They asked him.

"I will have to consult the Council." He said, and Naruto got the feeling that was the answer the Elders were looking for. "I'm sure with the Chuunin exams so soon, they'll allow it." The Elders nodded.

"I'm sure you're tired. Tomorrow we'll announce your new position." As they walked from the dark room, Naruto could help but noticed a certain smugness around Sakura that almost seem to infect Gaara, and he knew they had planned this.

--

AN: So I was sitting on my butt writing papers for my college classes and then it struck me, it's been like a month since I updated this story. I finished a chapter up quick like, I hope you like it. -Morana


	7. Chapter 7: Promises

Thanks, even though she has threatened me with a spoon, to my beta Liana Uchiha. 

Thanks to those who reviewed: Fox Loves Shinigami, Emiko-S, ketsuekilover, MSYOU, fridamoore, Liana Uchiha, Pen-Name-Kitsune-chan, and ANBUTrysts.

Tiresome had been an appropriate word to describe the night that the Elders informed him of his new title, and exhaustion was a good word to tell how it felt when the whole village was buzzing with congratulation, but now, almost a year and a half after everything had settled down, Naruto just wasn't himself. Being Hokage took every bit of energy he seemed to possess. Gaara watched emotionless as Naruto would draw up a thread of old enthusiasm from somewhere deep within him when someone walked into his office, only to slump back down when they left again.

Gaara could quite understand how the rest of the village managed not to notice the ashen pale that crept over his once golden skin, the way his hair was once spiky but now lackluster, or the way his bright blue eyes were almost like dusty gems. There were some evenings when he held Naruto's frail form in his arms that he wanted to demand he resign from his position, but it was those same days that Naruto would barely make it back to his cramped apartment before collapsing that anyone could see how truly happy he was. And thus, Gaara didn't say anything to the fading Hokage.

Just because he didn't say anything to Naruto didn't mean he kept silent all together. It was quite late at night, but Gaara knew where to find Sakura. She would be up late organizing Naruto's papers so his job would be as easy as possible the following morning. Her pink head barely even moved to see who was there as the door opened.

"Is everything okay?"

"He's not dead yet, if that what you mean." Bitterness like the faintest forgotten scent accented Gaara's normally flat voice.

"That's good. He's doing better than we expected."

"Despite your best efforts otherwise."

"What are you talking about?" Now she looked up, her face carefully controlled.

"Medics can bring back the dead, and people can live young seemingly endlessly, so tell me why you can't stop one man's body from destroying itself?"

"The reason you are standing here this evening is because people meddled with something out of their control. Sometimes the price is too great to pay."

"So you'll just let him die? Even when you could save him?"

"I couldn't save him."

"Don't lie. You won't just trade his life with someone else's." Their conversation had been carried out in soft civil voices until, now when Gaara's voice seemed to rip with raw desperation.

"Do you even hear yourself?" Sakura snapped.

"Yes. I'm not lying and hiding behind the outdated values of someone else."

"So you're suggesting we kill someone to satisfy your selfishness." She hissed in a low whisper.

"Selfishness? Is it selfish to want someone else to live?"

"No, but you want to kill people to let one man live. Naruto is dying for you; because of you. Don't let your guilt destroy both of you."

"Both of us?"

"Yes. Suppose I did this. Suppose I took some random person and ripped their life and let them fall to the ground like an empty walnut shell and stuffed that life into Naruto. How do you think that would make him feel? You go back to him and ask him he wants to live a stolen life. Ask him if he could ever forgive either of us for doing that to him." Her eyes met his and Gaara's shoulders dropped.

"I know you want him to live forever, but don't cheapen the gift he gave you. Let him die with integrity. It would be cruel have it any other way." As Gaara left the Hokage's tower, he looked up at the cliff face were the scaffolding from chiseling Naruto's face into the wall still hung. When he finally made it back, he found Naruto looking up at that same cliff.

"I did it. I'm the sort of person people look up to." He turned his eyes to Gaara, "You know I don't even regret how little time I have to lead them."

"Don't you wish you could live longer?" Gaara asked, and Naruto laughed.

"I'd be mad not to, but I won't spend the short time I have left regretting that I'm not going to live forever."

"But I want you to." Gaara slumped on to the bed next to Naruto.

"No you don't. You just don't want me to die. We both know that living forever would be a horrid fate." There was silence while they sat together, and Naruto leaned his head on Gaara's shoulder.

"It's my twenty-first birthday tomorrow. Remember when we didn't think I'd live to be twenty?"

"Let's aim for twenty-five." Naruto laughed softly at this.

"When I die, I want to buried somewhere that I can buried with you when you follow me. I don't want to be alone forever."

"Why all this talk about you dying? You're doing fine."

"Gaara, please promise me that they won't bury me in a lonely grave."

"If it makes you happy, we can talk about the location in the morning." Naruto nodded gravely and then yawned. "Go to sleep. I'll still be here in the morning." Naruto nodded, and soon, Gaara joined him in bed.

The night was cool, but Naruto had a fever, and so Gaara pulled the blankets off of him, and Naruto slept next to him on top of the covers. The moon peered through the window and on to the bed to watch Naruto wake. He leaned over to Gaara and pressed his lips softly against the other man's.

"Goodbye." He whispered, then left the room silently.

When Gaara awoke early the next morning to find nobody next to him, his first thoughts were that Naruto was up early. As he ate in the silent house, he was increasingly apprehensive as to where Naruto was, and so he decided to look for him. The village lay silent, covered in the cool blanket of predawn blue light. His worry escalated into panic as Naruto was nowhere to be found.

As the sky slowly turned pink, Gaara stepped out on the Hokage's heads, the last place he could think to look for Naruto. On one of them lay a figure, the light morning breeze played with the golden hair that was given life by the rising sun. The otherwise stillness of the person sent Gaara hurling towards them.

Hesitantly, he rolled Naruto onto his back and the blond stirred.

"Gaara?" He rasped out.

"I'm here." Naruto opened his eyes before shutting them again.

"I didn't want you to be."

"What?" Gaara's voice carried the hurt that he felt.

"I didn't want to feel my heartbreak trying to tell you goodbye."

"Did you think I could just let you go?"

"No, but it hurts so much for you to hold on. Please promise you'll let go. Please promise you'll be happy without me. I have to go now, but at least let me know I haven't abandoned you."

"I promise. I promise I will be happy and live both our lives until I come to join you."

"Good. Now close your eyes... I don't want you to have to watch me die." Gaara closed his eyes and he felt Naruto's weak hand cup his face, "Smile for me, let that be the last thing I remember." Gaara wanted to cry, but he knew he would have long, empty years to do that. Right now, he could smile for the person he loved.

-

He didn't know how long he held Naruto. He did know that sun rose to warm his face and the body that was no longer warming itself. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"People are looking for you. I told them that you should be left alone, but they are looking anyway." Sakura's words didn't mean anything to Gaara.

"Don't let them see their Hokage like this. Don't let Naruto appear like this before the people he led." Finally Gaara released his hold on Naruto's body. It wasn't as though the man he loved was there anymore.

It was said that a cold stole up on Naruto and settled in his chest, and despite every effort, nothing could be done to save him. The people were told that he died in a clean white hospital bed. For them, the Hokage's death was shocking and upsetting, but at least he didn't suffer, they told one another.

When it came time to bury Naruto, there was an argument. His will had been found, and it clearly stated that he was to be buried somewhere that Gaara could join him. It was a romantic idea with lots of political hang ups. The Hokage shouldn't be buried outside of the Leaf village, and it would be scandalous for the Kazekage to be buried so far from the desert sands.

Finally it was decided that Naruto would be cremated and half of his ashes would be interned in Konoha, and the other half in Suna. At first this caused an uproar that they were splitting Naruto in half, but then Sakura pointed out that it was only until Gaara completed him.

The funeral in Konoha was a large affair. It didn't rain for Naruto's funeral, and the birds didn't stop singing, but the people cried and the children didn't laugh. The unexpected death of the young, bubbly Hokage shocked them all deeply.

In contrast, Naruto's funeral in the Sand Village was small. No tears were shed; it was unwise to waste water in the desert. Nobody but Gaara lingered longer than to see the box containing half Naruto's ashes buried in the ground.

When everyone had gone, Gaara placed his hand on the pillar that marked the grave.

"I lied to you." He whispered. "I will live our lives, but there is no way to be happy with only half a heart."

The End

AN: I am so sorry this is horridly late. I fell off my friend's horse and broke my arm. Then I got a crazy doctor you put metal bars in my arms instead of a normal cast. Then I was behind in my classes. Then I had to plan and pack for a family trip (which kicked ass once it started). Most recently said crazy doctor took the metal bars out of my arm without sedating me (that hurt like hell). And I have to go away to school in 7 days and I'm not even half way packed! deep breath Now that my rant is over I hope you enjoyed this story and thanks for reading. -Morana


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